Dissent | Steel Toe Brewing

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Reviews by alphagnome:

Appearance:
Pitch black body allows absolutely no light to pierce its walls. Medium brown head, does not hang around long but leaves a few traces of lacing behind. Glancing down at this brew reveals a slow swirling galaxy - fun to watch.

Aroma:
Roasted coffee and rich caramel dominate the aromascape. English toffee, s'mores, and cocoa powder help give some additional character.

Taste:
Surprisingly bitter upfront - I don't remember this. Bitter chocolate and coffee right upfront followed by a mild sweetness. Smoked character adds a nice touch. Definitely gets better as the temperature inches up. Alcohol is a bit noticeable.

Mouthfeel:
A very nice, medium bodied beer. Smooth with a semi-sweet finish.

Overall:
I had this beer last year and absolutely adored it... this time around, I found it a bit lacking but still very, very good. I question this particular bottle's age and plan on re-reviewing the first chance I get my hands on another bottle of this one.

Taste: Fairly sweet and fruity upfront (a little more so than I prefer), but then the roasted flavors rise up with lots of chocolate and molasses. On the finish, there is a good amount of chargrill and coffee, resulting in a decent level of bitterness. Not sure if hops are contributing much or not.

Feel: Full body that is very smooth and creamy. Carbonation is low and just enough to get the job done.

Overall: Nice full-bodied Stout that is not quite Imperial. Good mix of flavors, just a wee bit too sweet upfront. However, the abrupt transition from sweet to bitter is very interesting.

at republic uptown served in a pint glass with a thin finger of dark tan frothy head that leaves little lacing and breaks down rather rapidly. Brownish black in color. Aromas of rich dark chocolatey malt. Notes of rich toasted sugar as well. Flavor is rich dark toasted malt with characteristics of heavily roasted coffee. End note is a tad bitter from the dark malts. Medium bodied with a carbonation level a bit high that seems to bring out the lingering almost astringent aftertaste from the roasted malts. Overall a decent beer that could benefit from a little less in your face dark malt and better balance.

L: A black pour crowned by a 1” dense light brown foam collar. S: faint roast, cocoa, chocolate. T: Rich malts balance light roast flavors supported by grainy flavors. Initial cocoa transforms into espresso with a lingering coffee bitterness. While there is a touch of char, it is not harsh and is balanced by the malt. F: Very creamy, smooth and rich with a medium full body and soft carbonation. O: A flavorful, drinkable stout.

Appearance: Pours a deep and murky black with a light hint of brownish amber at the bottom of the glass. Lots of bubbles and a solid three fingers of creamy tan head with good retention. Leaves a decent amount of lacing on the glass.

Smell: A roasty and fairly sweet aroma. Dark roasted malts and grains with big hints of chocolate, coffee, and burnt caramel malt. Also some hints of lactose, cream, and toffee with some burnt sugar. A little smoke, nuts, and tobacco. Hops are very subtle. Sweet roasted dark chocolate and coffee is the dominant aroma here.

Taste: Similar to the smell, but with a more noticeable dark bitterness from the roast. Sweet dark roasted malts with big hints of chocolate, coffee, toasted bread, burnt caramel, toffee, and lactose sugars. A little bit of smoke and nuts with some molasses. Rich and sweet but has a nice balancing bitterness from the dark roast. Light hop presence in the background. A very rich and good taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Very creamy and rich feel that is slightly syrupy but finishes with a nice dry bitterness from the roast.

Overall: A very good stout. Very forward with the chocolate and coffee flavors. Good balance between the sweetness and roasty bitterness.

Cracked open a bottle for dessert. Poured pitch black with a short tan head from my bomber. Mmm, nice chocolate aroma with a fresh coffee background. The flavor has a tasty, clean dry cocoa roast with a bready malt undertone. Hops come in for a big dry bitter finish that's a little more American stout/double stout. This is an awesome stout, just don't expect something on the sweet side like Lion or Dragon stouts.

Pours more viscous than what is typical in a 7% ABV stout. Very dark color with a half-inch tan head that did not hold on for very long. The head settles to a thin cap. Moderate amount of spotty lacing is left down the glass.

Roasted malt aroma with hints of cocoa. Straight forward aroma.

The flavor is much more complex. Has a deep roasted malt flavor that is smoothed out by the oats. Hints of cocoa and even a more subtle spice mix. Bitterness upfront is high but mellows out in the finish. A real depth of flavor.

I have only had two of this new breweries bottles. And one thing this brewer does extremely well is the mouthfeel. Wonderful carbonation and texture. Medium to full body with a smooth, luscious feel.

Really impressed with this stout. Still hate the bomber format, but I will not stop drinking this beer because of the bottle/price.